CH 17

He’s a Harem Protagonist, but he only loves his silent Childhood Friend



TL/ED: Bogdi

If I were to title a story about Ryoma Ryuzaki, what would it be?



I think about this as I stare blankly at the blackboard during my afternoon class. It was just after lunch and I was motivated to sleep, so the string of numbers on the blackboard did not enter my mind at all.



(The title might be ……, I guess. “He’s a Harem Protagonist, but he only loves his silent Childhood Friend…”?)



It’s a terrible title. I can’t help but chuckle at my lack of imagination.



But if I were to summarize the truth, it would be something like that.



The story is about a harem protagonist, Ryuzaki, who is tempted by all kinds of girls, but loves only his …… childhood friend with all his heart.



His childhood friend, who is sickly, quiet, and loves to be alone, doesn’t even open up to Ryuzaki at first, but they gradually become friends. …… Eventually, he confesses, “I love you more than any other girl!”. In the end, they confess their love and become a couple.



The other sub-heroines regret this, but congratulate the hero and main heroine, saying to themselves, “If Ryoma is happy, then so be it.”



–I felt like I was going to puke when I anticipated such a cold, generic story.



There is only one person who can be happy in this story.



Of course, that’s Ryoma Ryuzaki and the rest of the heroines can’t be happy.



Even the main heroine, Shimotsuki, will have a very hard time in the future.



The story will end when they become a couple, but life goes on.



Can the harem-minded hero lead a normal married life?



What if he’s a womanizer by nature and indecisive?



Maybe one of the sub-heroines will become his mistress. …… What will Shimotsuki think when that happens?



…… Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.



I’m going to stop thinking about the ending of this story. I’m going to feel sick.



A quiet story.



After all, the only person Ryuzaki is obsessed with is Shimotsuki. She seems to be the main heroine, unfortunately.



Even the other harem members are probably just sub-characters to him.



(…… It’s so unrewarding.)



Even those girls that I loved can only stand in the corner of the story? If that’s the case, then I’m really sad that I was cut off.



They are not even sub-characters, but mob characters, I guess that’s more appropriate.



It’s no wonder, since mobs don’t have any human rights. …… Or maybe they don’t care about me now.



A mob character who thought he was the protagonist is nothing but a pathetic clown. It’s not right to try to reward someone for being so miserable that it’s difficult to even laugh at them.



But I do have a wish, at least for …… one thing.



(Please, …… let just one person be happy.)



The least I could pray for was that their efforts as subheroines would be rewarded, even if only a little.



It is not uncommon for a subheroine to surpass the main heroine in a story.



It doesn’t matter what the reason is, whether it’s because they became popular, the author liked them or the story flowed the way it had to …….



My stepsister Azusa, my childhood friend Yuzuki, and my best friend Kirari ……, at least one of them, should be rewarded.



There are not only three harem members, and there are many others, but …… no, the number is constantly increasing and the protagonist is an outrageous womanizer, making every girl he meets fall in love with him, one after another, so the competition will be high.



He is such a ridiculous hero that even within the sub-heroines, there are fierce fights. As a mob character ……, no, as a normal human being, I don’t understand why anyone would fall in love with a guy like that.



Isn’t it strange to keep thinking about something when there is little chance of it being rewarded? They can’t be so blinded by love that they can’t help it if they fall in love.



But maybe that’s normal for these girls …….



That’s how much they fell in love with someone. Compared to them, I’ve probably only ever had casual love, so maybe I don’t understand it.



Even though they know they will be unhappy, they can’t help but fall in love. If that’s the case, I want them to do their best.



I want them to win happiness with their own hands.



That was the best I can do as a mob character…